Tuesday, June 3, 2008

New GM engine plant in Flint

The Flint Journal reports:

A new, $350-million General Motors plant that will produce engines for Chevrolet's next generation compact car will be built in the area of Flint Engine South, Mayor Don Willamson said Tuesday.

Williamson, responding to an announcement of new engine work in Flint by GM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Rick Wagoner, went one step further, saying he could "personally guarantee" that the plant would be located in the area bounded by I-75, I-69, and Bristol and VanSlyke roads.

"This is going to happen," Williamson said. "That plant will go there."

Williamson's guarantee came even as GM officials avoided committing to specifics about where the 1.4-liter turbocharged engine is expected to be built.





4 comments:

  1. This was announced back when GM and the UAW hammered out their latest contract. At the time, it was reported that the plant would be built near Flint Powertrain North, with speculation that it would be somewhere on the old Buick City site.

    http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/newsnow/2007/10/how_uaws_new_gm_pact_could_aff.html

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  2. So why's the Journal getting all crazy about this now? Is it just because Mayor Don claimed to know exactly where it will be built?

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  3. And frankly, Williamson has nothing to do with the plant being located here.
    We're still waiting for the big truck accessory plant the Don promised when he ran the first time.

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  4. Cool Blog! I'm glad I found this.

    As per the engine plant:

    It is a good thing, however, the loss of the 3.8l engine production will dampen the benefits of this new plant.

    Flint's addiction to the auto market is one similar to heroin. This new plant to manufacture an efficient engine will be a healthier version-morphine.

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Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.